Why now? Why here?

Why we need more homes

The Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury area is home to around 350,000 people. It is forecast that an additional 23,000 families will form and make the area their home over the next 20 years.

Housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable for people, both to buy and to rent, in part due to a shortage of new homes being built.

There’s also a lack of access to the right type of affordable housing for rent. TBC estimates it needs around 7,000 new affordable homes within the borough boundary over the next 20 years to meet the needs of local families. (Source: Tewkesbury Borough Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26)

Tewkesbury Borough Council has identified the land at North Ashchurch to help meet the housing needs of the local area.

Why North Ashchurch?

North Ashchurch is the best and most sustainable location to locate a new community for the following reasons:

1. The new communities can be delivered on land outside the constraints affecting large parts of the borough such as areas at risk of flooding, Green Belt, AONB and heritage sites
2. There is space to provide important services, facilities and a substantial, ecologically rich country park with further open spaces for sport and recreation.
3. The site is in close proximity to the largest concentration of jobs in the borough.
4. The railway station enables sustainable travel connections to major centres of employment and commerce.
5. The Garden Communities can be a driver for change and investment in the A46 and M5 transport corridors.